On Target
Boeing delivered the final upgraded missile guidance set (MGS) for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to the Air Force, completing 82 months—or nearly seven years—of consecutive on-time or early deliveries.
Boeing made the final delivery two months ahead of schedule to ICBM prime contractor Northrop Grumman.
“Boeing upgraded the missile guidance sets in its facility in Heath, Ohio. Honeywell, a subcontractor to Boeing, provided subassemblies for the guidance sets,” Cheryl Sampson, spokesperson, Boeing, told MSMF.
Boeing performed the MGS upgrade under the ICBM Guidance Replacement Program (GRP), a modernization effort to replace and upgrade the 1970s-vintage navigational electronics in the Minuteman III. Boeing began production of the new electronic sets in 1998.
Cheryl Sampson: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
MK 41 VLS Contract Modification
Lockheed Martin received a $6.3 million contract modification from the Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to provide engineering support services for MK 41 vertical launching system (VLS) work on the Navy’s Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser modernization program and the Turkish Navy’s MEKO Track IIA and IIB frigates.
Funding for Aegis BMD integration into the MK 41 VLS is funded under separate contract modifications and was not part of this contract award. “With that stated, the same design agent contract covers the engineering development for MK 41 VLS and cruiser modernization that developed a common launch control computer program that is fully compatible with the older baseline III and the newest baseline VII launcher electronics hardware,” explained Jim Gring, Lockheed Martin spokesman. As the Aegis BMD capability is integrated into cruisers and destroyers with various MK 41 VLS configurations, the upgrades will be incorporated through a mix of circuit cards and firmware downloads and will leverage the same common launch control computer program. “This commonality lowers the U.S. Navy’s total cost of ownership, maintains MK 41 VLS’ high system reliability, and retains the “any missile/any cell” that makes MK 41 stand apart from the rest of the world’s naval launchers,” Gring concluded.
The work will be performed at Lockheed Martin’s locations in Baltimore, Md., and Ventura, Calif.
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SBIRS Satellite Successfully Completes Baseline Integrated System Test
The Air Force’s first geosynchronous Space Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS) satellite successfully completed baseline integrated system testing (BIST) at the development site. The recent BIST test successfully demonstrated functionality of the first SBIRS geosynchronous satellite.
BIST represented the firsttime incorporation of the newly updated flight software with the satellite hardware. Over one year in development, the updated flight software functioned with minimal discrepancies during testing. BIST entails functional testing of both the payload and the spacecraft and represents a major milestone in the development and integration of a fully functioning satellite.
“Completion of this key spacecraft test with new flight software represents another significant milestone for SBIRS and is testimony to the entire team’s strong commitment and ability to achieve mission success on this program,” said Dave Sheridan, Lockheed Martin’s SBIRS GEO program director, in an Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center statement provided to MSMF. “We are on track to enter thermal vacuum testing and look forward to our continued progress in providing unparalleled warning and intelligence capabilities to the warfighter.” ♦